The laminating of a topfilm to a substrate is well known. One particular application is in the lamination of topfilms to substrates to produce laminated blanks used for vehicles license plates, traffic signs and related objects. Where high speed output is desired, the lamination process is typically performed on web-fed equipment in which the topfilm and substrate are fed from large rolls and laminated by nip rolls. After the lamination process, the laminated webs can be run through a sheeter or otherwise processed to obtain the laminated blanks used for signs, license plates, etc.
Web-fed processes offer particularly high levels of control over the lamination process, as the speed of the webs can be independently controlled, thereby also controlling the tension in those webs, which can be critical to maintain registration and reduce waste. One disadvantage is, however, that for relatively short runs where small numbers of products are needed, web-fed processes can result in substantially increased waste when measured as a percentage of product produced in the run. This additional waste can be attributed to many factors, but is primarily the result of waste produced during set-up procedures.
Such short runs are often encountered in situations in which a relatively small number of laminated blanks are needed, such as small states in the United States of America, or when any governmental unit which must produce laminated blanks for license plates, signs, etc. in volumes insufficient to justify a high speed web-fed lamination line based on both the increased waste generated as well as the high capital costs associated with the equipment.
Current technology available to produce laminate blanks for license plates, signs, etc. in low volumes typically involve vacuum lamination devices which use vacuum to provide pressure for lamination or manually-operated nip roll stacks into which a sheeted topfilm and a sheeted substrate are fed. Those devices are, however, typically slow, requiring a significant amount of labor per piece part and can result in a significant amount of waste due to poor registration control.
As a result, a need exists for a low-volume, lamination process and devices for laminating a sheeted topfilm to a sheeted substrate.